Novel ternary metal boride Mg-Co-B alloys as anode materials for alkaline secondary batteries

Ternary Mg-Co-B alloys have been successfully synthesized by a chemical reduction method with subsequent heat-treatment at various temperatures. The products thus obtained have been investigated as anode materials in alkaline aqueous KOH + LiOH co-solution. The as-prepared Mg-Co-B alloys have been found to show excellent electrochemical reversibility, as well as considerably high specific capacities of up to 336 mAh/g. The outstanding electrochemical performances of the Mg-Co-B alloys are shown to stem from their specific microstructures, which have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, BET surface area measurement, and cyclic voltammetry.